Here I come!!! Help Me, Please?

[jnarowe]

Don't know. I will make one recommendation and that is to either have the flow into the tank from above, or have the manifold above the tank water level with a siphon break. My siphon break is the line going to the refugium. It's above the refugium water level so if the power goes out, it allows a siphon break and the tank doesn't drain. VERY IMPORTANT!

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11000379#post11000379 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kannin
Thank you... I do have a little experience. Just enough to be dangerous.

That's the stage where the more you know is actually more that you don't know. Scary huh?

I do like the second design better...as it also give you a little more room for the water supply by having the sump take up dead space. Kudos on the thought.

Keep in mind, there is a limit of how much water you will want to push through the sump. If you try to force too much, you run into issues where the overflows can't handle it, or microbubbles everywhere.

I'm sorry for not asking earlier, but what are the overflows rated at? I agree, with a 6-7' head (looking at an average size tank height, bends in the line and whatnot), you will be flowing between 2000 - 2400GPH. That's a good bit of flowjo, and I'm not sure my 2" returns could handle that now (I think they were rated at 800-900 each)

Something like a GenX100 you might be able to get for the same price as 2 Mag18's and may be able to work with a better flow through the sump. No saying you should go this way...but I'd look around, don't lock yourself in to one idea.

 

[pcostanzo]

I also like the manifold. When I redesigned my tank I pulled my Mag-24 and mag-18 out and replaced with a Reeflo Hammerhead that feeds this manifold. The mags aren't very energy efficient and add heat to the tank.

 

[jnarowe]

yeah baby, that's a beaut!

 

[tattooreef]

ill have to take some new shots of my manifold, somehow they got erased from my photobucket but in breif description the drain for the manifold is in the bottom of the tank feeds directly into the pump( barracuda, soon to be bumped to a hammerhead) comes out of the pump up over the back of the tank t's of runs the entire perimeter of the tank with lots of lockline outlets all along it for full flexibility of the outlets

 

[Kannin]

Imagine if I had brought up these ideas a month from now... I'd be in a world of hurt. Thanx everyone.

They guy at the lfs that installed and serviced the tank for 5 years said that the overflows could run 2000 gph each. They are 20 inches long with 1 1/2 inch drains. is there a formula to verify his numbers? I am wanting to run about 1500 gph in each one... and return about 1300 gph to each end of the tank plus 400 gph to the fuge.

Using a bigger pump with a manifold would allow me to eliminate the HF 12 for the fuge return. Plus, I could have a couple of extra lines on it for if I need to install a chiller in the future or something.

Here's the best pic I have of the overflows.

 

[Kannin]

I appreciate the brief description Tatooreef... but, I'm a visual person. Gife up the pics!!!

 

[Kannin]

Give... not Gife.

 

[dismalorb]

The search function on here actually works pretty good, ya know!

I've been saving photos of people's plumbing for a while now (sounds horrible, I know)...

Everyone that's posted in your thread, click on their profile and choose the "search all user's posts" function. I've already done this, and some of these guys have some great plumbing!

 

[Kannin]

Thank you.

 

[dismalorb]

Sure thing! Did the advice help any?

 

[Kannin]

I haven't tried... I'll experiment with it tonight from home. Where in ptld are you? I grew up in the Wilshire district near NE 33rd and then I moved to Beaverton just b4 high school. Moved to the Seattle area in '91.

Just did some research. I'm think of staying with the reeflo dart for my closed loop and going with a reeflo barracuda for my return on a manifold. It will provide 3300 gph at an 8 ft head. That is more than enough and at less cost than 2 mag 18's and a HF12. Probably save enough to pay for all of the ball valves on the manifold.

 

[jnarowe]

Now you're talking! And you can divert water from after the return pump back into the sump too. This helps with priming, sump water level, and can be used for further filtration. Most importantly the priming though.

 

[Kannin]

Priming what? The drain pipes?

 

[jnarowe]

The pump itself. Typically this is not too much of an issue if the pump is mounted on the floor beside the water source, but having the T and extra valve will help if you get some kind of air lock or have trouble priming. It's really nice to be able to divert flow back into the sump.

 

[Kannin]

I need to come see you. There's too much to know on a bigger system.

 

[jnarowe]

Any time you like. Just PM and we'll set it up.

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11007522#post11007522 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kannin
They guy at the lfs that installed and serviced the tank for 5 years said that the overflows could run 2000 gph each. They are 20 inches long with 1 1/2 inch drains. is there a formula to verify his numbers? I am wanting to run about 1500 gph in each one... and return about 1300 gph to each end of the tank plus 400 gph to the fuge.

Wow, I'll need to see if I can find a formula, but I think that's way high (almost double). Add to this, if you keep them open at the top, you will get the most flow, but it also creates the most noise. By the time you put something like this on there, your volume goes down.


This was my first run...now I have something even a little more restrictive (but you can barely hear it)

 

[SVTour]

Oh, I actually do have a pic of the new setup...

You can see in this that the water level is even higher in the overflow. While I can adjust it with the top cap, any more I open creates more sound.

I can tell you this, I serviced my pump this weekend, and shut off one of the return pump ball valves while doing. When turning the pump on (leaving the one ball valve shut) there's was no way the one return line could keep up...and my pump only flows about 1550 at the height it's at.

 

[pcostanzo]

There's a calculator on the home page. Here is a link.

http://reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php

It does seem high. It also depends on the rest of your plumbing after the drain, how many 90's and so on..